Abstract : It has been argued that bureaucratic management systems were definitely non effective if organizations were to innovate. As an alternative it has been argued that only non-bureaucratic type of management systems i.e “organic” or “adhocratic” management systems were conducive to innovation. In this article, a case study of a highly innovative firm suggests that the alternative is not as straightforward as it may seem. The study investigates a conceptual and practical asymmetry between the two ideal-types. The study’s findings identify a major blind spot of the supposedly non-bureaucratic management systems : namely, regulation. This leads us to argue that Adhocratic management systems are not a self-standing alternative to Bureaucratic management systems, but rather a variation of the latter. Such a variation tends to generate a “paradoxical management system”. Key words : Innovation, Bureaucracy, Adhocracy

INTRODUCTION One claim has been pervasive over the past decades in the management field : bureaucratic management systems, alternatively named “bureaucratic” (Bennis, 1966 ; Mintzberg, 1981), “monocratic” (Thompson, 1969), or “mechanistic” (Burns & Stalker, 1961) management systems are damaging for the production of innovations within established companies. As they rely on individuals' specialization around tasks, fixed operative rules, tasks focused control, and hierarchical authority, they are considered to impede organizational members to come up with new propositions and develop it. The general wisdom thus considers that if bureaucratic management systems are appropriate for routine type of activities, they are definitely not for innovation (Burns & Stalker, 1961 ; Mintzberg, 1981 ; Galbraith, 1982 ; Perrow, 1986 ; Souder, 1987) . What type of management system is then suitable in order for an established firm to actually come up with new offerings? An alternative has been symmetrically developed, often by the same authors, dramatizing one hand of the continuum, in order to promote the other one. This alternative consists in advocating that “non bureaucratic” systems are required. Alternatively named “organic” (Burns and Stalker, 1961) or “adhocratic” (Mintzberg, 1981), such management systems are expected to best allow innovations to be produced within established organizations. As indicated by its etymological origin (“Ad hoc”), adhocratic management systems are under-specified, low formalized ones. Individual’s roles are broad and flexible. This type of management system stands in sharp contrast with the bureaucratic :...

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There are four structural concepts are central to any definition of bureaucracy:
1. A well-defined division of administrative labour among persons and offices,
2. A personnel system with consistent patterns of recruitment and stable linear careers,
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4. Formal and informal networks that connect organizational actors to one another through flows of information and patterns of cooperation.
In bureaucracies, people were grouped with those who did the same work. There was a workgroup leader and a number of people who reported to the leader.
The workgroup leader planned, allocated, controlled and coordinated the work.
Characteristics of modern bureaucratic system
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Bureaucracy
Nicholas Eddy
University of Maryland University College
MGMT 610 Section 9041
Turnitin: 22%
The term bureaucracy became known in the late 1800’s thanks to a German theorist named Max Weber. Weber “perceived bureaucracy as a threat to basic personal liberties, and recognized it as the most efficient possible system of organizing” (Daft, 2013, p. 363). Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines bureaucracy as “a body of nonelective government officials; an administrative policy-making group; or a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation” (Merriam-Webster’s, 2004, p. 165). Within any organization there has to be a clear cut set of rules and regulations to adhere to. Who will determine these regulations and rules? The employees, management, and the board of directors will all come together at one time or another to create them.
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...ADMINISTRATION & ORGANIZATION THEORY (PAHS 631)
TERM PAPER ON: THE INFLUENCE OF BUREAUCRACY ON PUBLIC SECTOR SERVICE DELIVERY: A CASE STUDY OF KUMASI METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY
BY
ABSTRACT
The main objective of this paper is to assess the influence of bureaucracy on public sector service delivery. There have been a lot of public outcry on the delivery of services by public institutions such as KMA which are non-transparent, unpredictable, cumbersome and full of excessive delays. In order to achieve the objective a qualitative research design was adopted to better understand the impact of bureaucracy on public sector service delivery. The information that was used in this study was obtained from both primary and secondary sources. The study found out that KMA just like any other organisations work with rules, methods, procedures, regulations etc, however the problem was the application and implementation of the rules and procedures by staff of KMA. As such delivery of services takes too long which frustrate their clients. Except some few things which are done electronically, most of the things are done manually compounding the already bureaucratic system in place at KMA. The study concluded that bureaucracy in is actual sense is not a bad practice but the employees working under such systems misuse the concept of bureaucracy to achieve their selfish desires thus giving...

...Bureaucracy
A form of structure to be fond in many large-scale organisations is bureaucracy. Its importance in the development of organisation theory means that it is often regarded as a sub-division under the classical heading.
* Main characteristics of Bureaucracy:
Weber did not actually define Bureaucracy but did attempt to identify the main characteristics of this type of organisation:
* The tasks of the organisation are allocated as official duties among the various positions.
* There is an implied clear-cut division of labour and a high level of specialisation
* A hierarchical authority applies to the organisation of offices and positions.
* Employment by the organisation is based on technical qualifications and constitutes a lifelong career for the officials.
Advantage of Bureaucracy:
Top-level managers in bureaucratic organizational structures exercise a great deal of control over organizational strategy decisions, which is ideal for business owners with a command and control style. Strategic decision-making time can be shorter in a tall organizational structure, since less individuals are involved in the process.
Facts of Bureaucracy:
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...Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity, usually in large organizations and government. As opposed to adhocracy, it is represented by standardized procedure (rule-following) that dictates the execution of most or all processes within the body, formal division of powers, hierarchy, and relationships. In practice the interpretation and execution of policy can lead to informal influence.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Definition
* 2 Origins
* 3 Development
* 4 Views on the concept
o 4.1 Karl Marx
o 4.2 Max Weber
o 4.3 Michel Crozier
* 5 American Usage
* 6 Austrian School Analysis
* 7 Current academic debates
* 8 See also
* 9 References & notes
* 10 External links
Definition
Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science referring to the way that the administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules are socially organized. Four structural concepts are central to any definition of bureaucracy:
1. a well-defined division of administrative labor among persons and offices,
2. a personnel system with consistent patterns of recruitment and stable linear careers,
3. a hierarchy among offices, such that the authority and status are differentially distributed among actors, and
4. formal and informal networks that connect organizational actors to one another through flows of...

...ABSTRACT
Bureaucracy is all about the rules and regulations to manage a particular activity in the organization. This paper is about how bureaucracy used in old organizations and how it affected the processes of new organizations. It explains how bureaucracy is not applicable in today’s business environment because of many facts. As years went through there was a drastic change in the operations of the organisation. The concern moved from organization to customer service, so the bureaucratic organizations changed their strategy from bureaucracy to customer service, this include government organizations also. Different authors thought about issue the issue different and this is explained in a very lucid language in this paper.
INTRODUCTION TO BUREACRACY
In the 18th century, officials of the French government demoted bureaucracy as desk cloth cover. Bureau means the official body which is engaged in the office which is public. This body uses the required implemental material and files. The term bureaucracy derived from the word bureau. (Reinhard Bendix,1968)
According to Blau(1965), bureaucracy is defined as “The type of organization designed to accomplish large scale administrative tasks by systematically coordinating the work of many individuals.” However, Weber(1958) defined bureaucracy in a very scientific and systematic way. This means that...